During March eight Bluffton and Pandora congregations partnered with Samaritan House and Crossroads Crisis Center in Lima, through the “Supply Our Sisters,” (SOS) program.
The month-long project involved collection of feminine hygiene products and the churches are collection points.
The SOS project was an overwhelming success, according to Amy Mikesell, who coordinated it.
The final report showed the following collected items: 5,870 tampons, 8,325 pads and 3,782 pantiliners, adding up to 17,977 items.
Other miscellaneous personal hygiene items (shampoo, soap, etc.) and diapers were also donated. The Samarian House and Crossroads Crisis Center were overwhelmed with this generosity, Mikesell told The Icon.
When the project was launched, Mikesell said, “Acquiring basic feminine hygiene supplies every month is a silent struggle for many homeless and poor women in our communities. The inability to meet this basic, recurring need is often a private, humiliating disgrace.”
Cooperating congregations included:
Bluffton
• Ebenezer Mennonite Church
• First Mennonite Church
• First United Methodist Church
• St. John’s United Church of Christ
• St. Mary’s Catholic Church
Pandora
• Grace Mennonite Church
• Pandora Missionary Church
• St. John Mennonite Church
